Percival Everett's Coming To Town - remember you're required to go to at least 2 of these events . . .

Percival Everett is the author of 20 books, including a farcical Western, a savage satire of the publishing industry, a children's story that spoofs counting books, retellings of the Greek myths of Medea and Dionysus, and a philosophical tract narrated by a four-year-old. The Washington Post called Everett one of the most adventurously experimental of modern American novelists, and The Boston Globe says, he's literature's NASCAR champion, going flat out, narrowly avoiding one seemingly inevitable crash only to steer straight for the next. Everett's writing has earned him the PEN USA 2006 Literary Award and the Academy Award for Literature of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has also received the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, the PEN/Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature, and the New American Writing Award. He has served as a judge for, among others, the National Book Awards and PEN/Faulkner Awards and is a Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, where he teaches creative writing, American studies and critical theory.

Reception and reading: February 4 at 6pm (followed by book signing), Fogelman Executive Center, University of Memphis, 330 Innovation Drive
Author Interview: 10:30 AM, Feb 5, University of Memphis, Patterson Hall, Room 456

And by poetry, I mean words, all words . . .

"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"

~ John Keating in Dead Poet's Society

What will YOUR verse be?

Tuesday Recap - Part Deux

. . . and don't forget to start reading the Memphis Blogs too. Posting comments on those sites will also count toward your "comment" requirement! And it will most definitely be a great starting point for entering into the Big Conversation with people who are already thinking and writing about things we'll be thinking and writing about in this class.

Tuesday Recap

It was nice to meet y'all today. I am looking forward to a great semester. I hope you will find something within the issues that we began to discuss today that will spark your interest, and, even, perhaps, cause you to get more involved with your community than you'd ever thought you might.

Just a recap of the issues:

1. Taxation - business, payroll, vacancy, property
2. City/County Consolidation - school, government
   
3. Water Issues/The Environment
4. Debt/Bankruptcy/Credit
5. Health Care - availability, cost, state of citizenry
   
6. Poverty/Homelessness
7. School Assessment
8. Living Wage/Minimum Wage

A recap of the projects we will be undertaking:

1. A Book Review - your choice of book that relates to the issue you're tackling.
2. A Propaganda Analysis - a review and analysis of a web site, print ad, brochure, etc. of an organization that deals with the issue you're tackling.
3. A Report on Global Status - a review of the issue you're dealing with in its global context (how other cities or countries have dealt/are dealing with your issue).
4. An Interview of a key player in the local "issue scene."
   

I'll Be There

Tomorrow. Don't be late! Don't forget to dropbox by 5am!


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So, I thought I'd introduce myself to you a bit since we're a little behind in that arena. I've had the pleasure of already reading about you, and yet, (except for you lucky/unlucky repeat customers) you've never even seen me. Or, if you have seen me lurking the halls, you don't know that you've seen me.

This is me:
I'm 37. I've been married for eleven years to my childhood sweetheart. His name is Kalki. We're both Christians, organic-organic eating, conservationists who love to camp and hike and canoe. We love to garden, drink wine and travel. But, he's a raging conservative, Tennessee Vols fan. I'm a raging liberal, Alabama Crimson Tide fan. We make it work and, because of my experience with living with someone diametrically opposed to my "heinous commie" politics, I have a pretty good sense of humor about these things.

I'm a mother of a two-year-old little girl who has Pierre Robin Sequence. I will talk about her probably more than you want to hear.

I believe that you have a right to know where I stand. I believe this because I also believe that there is NO SUCH THING AS OBJECTIVITY. I will always interact with you through the filter of my beliefs, just as you will always interact with me through the filter of yours. Once we are honest with each other about that, and about our inability to ever truly achieve the mythic objectivity, we'll be better able to understand each other's work: mine as teacher, yours as student.

I always invite you to try to convince me of the error of my ways, and I will try to convince you of yours. In this, though, we will always, always, operate under a deep respect for each other's intellect and individuality. At least in my classroom.

I believe that there is no such thing as a "bad word."

I believe that we learn best through the use of creativity.

I believe that we must always know WHY we believe what we say we believe, and that our beliefs should be reflected in our actions.

I believe that the classroom experience can only work if it is a collaborative effort - you do your job, I'll do mine.

I'm looking forward to this semester; looking forward to helping you discover new things about yourself and your community and what you believe. And why.

Manifesto

Some famous ~ and infamous ~ manifestos:

• The Communist Manifesto
• The Surrealist Manifesto
• The Declaration of Independence
• The Contract With America
• The Sharon Statement
• The Port Huron Statement
• The Unabomber Manifesto
• Cyborg Theory
• The Memphis Manifesto

Now, add yours!

Hi Y'all - Let's Get Started!

So you've landed where you'll be spending a lot of time this semester. Don't panic - it'll be fun. Really.

What I'd like for you to do today (1/17) is:

1. Set up a blog of your own - be creative! Make sure that you can add links to the blog and that it's set up to receive comments. You can add pictures of yourself, describe yourself however you'd like, title your blog whatever you like. This is YOUR blog. Hopefully, you'll enjoy writing in it so much that you'll keep on going after this class is over. I know you're probably saying, "Yeah, right," but you just might be surprised!
2. Once you've set up your blog, I'd like you to read through a few of the blogs posted on the right, here. Get a sense of what blogging is like for some of Memphis's best bloggers. You're a part of this elite, witty, smart group now. Congratulations.
3. Now, post a comment on THIS blog. Include your real name, your major, a brief description of yourself, and what you expect to get out of this class (250 words).
   
4. Finally. Go Home. Research the term "Manifesto." Tell me about some famous (or infamous) manifestos. Then write YOUR MANIFESTO. Make this a cohesive, interesting essay. You can relate yourself to any of the manifestos that you find (make sure to use MLA). 750 word minimum. Post your manifesto on your blog AND drop it into the dropbox of the E-Courseware site by Tuesday morning at 5am.
5. Have a GREAT weekend.